Any yak fishermen here? After a very long hiatus, I got back into fishing by joining some old buds at Cabbage Key off Ft. Myers Florida. Because they fish exclusively with shiners, I need to to work on my casting because it is a trick to throw a shiner so it drops right at the foot of the mangroves, but not in the %@#$% trees. But, I don't want to fool with buying a boat and pulling a trailer and all that. I'm thinking throwing a kayak on top of the Highlander and heading for a local lake is the way to go. (I may also do some bay fishing in Pensacola, Florida.) However, the last time I tried fishing in a kayak, it was frustrating. I was in a shallow bay, facing 1-2 ft waves and a head wind. Maybe I'm a crappy paddler, but I just couldn't make any headway. I ended tacking like a sailboat. But I have noticed that many kayaks, Hobie, come with foot paddles. Plus, some companies are fitting them with electric motors. Do they work? Can they handle relatively light water and wind? I'm interested, but I'm cheap. Spending $4k on a kayak just rubs me the wrong way. I can buy a used Ranger bass boat with maybe a 60 horse for that kind of money. But, then again, I'd have to trailer the damn thing. Any thoughts? (BTW, the pic is when we were tarpon fishing, not back in the mangroves. It was a hoot. You scoop up little tidal crabs swimming on the surface for bait. We didn't catch any, but there's always next year.) Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ive done some kayak fishing..kills my back though sitting that long im doing some fishing from my SUP which I enjoy more. as I can sit stand etc.....ive seen a lot of the powered floating tubes around that seem to be good for shallow fishing and probably more comfortable then sitting..just my 2c
I have a fishing kayak. good workout and fun. they are unstable as heck, would be easy to tip over especially in fishing situation. also sensitive to the wind and waves. I don't have many good kayak fishing videos, here is catching a little bass. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhN5P_qc3zU[/ame]
Damn, you use a baitcaster? I hate the damn things. My old man was old school. I had to untangle those rat's nests without cutting the line. What brand is your yak? I understand some of the newer ones are wider. Plus, have you ever heard of a Twin Troller? Twin Troller X10 - The Worlds Best Fishing Boat - 2 man small bass fishing boat | Freedom Electric Marine
Yeah, I have looked at the floating tubes. Kinda nervous about hitting the salt water bays in one, though.
Some of my friends used to go kayak fishing all the time. One of them actually installed a trailer hitch on the Audi A5 he owned at the time to haul it down to they bay. Then he moved up to shallow water boats and is on his 3rd or 4th.
He made more money so he traded up. He loved it. They used to go damn near every weekend it seemed. Witnessed many a fights with their wives about the time they spent fishing. No with the shallow water, they'll park in a spot and Wade fish. If you're interested I'll find out where they used to go. I know it's in the Bay Flats, Port O'Connor area.
Lots of guys down here use their yaks constantly while the boat sits at home. Great for the saltwater bays and backwaters. The pedal craft are pretty cool, though I haven't used one much. I've used a few that were 14' and about 28" wide. Raised seat was pretty comfortable. Paddling is a little more work but the stability is worth it. In Florida you have to register the motorized ones. You can find some very good yaks for $6-1200. Ocean Kayak, Native, Hobie
That's good to know. I currently do not live on the water and do not want to fool with trailering a boat. Throwing a yak on top of my 150,000 mile Highlander appears to be the way to go. Besides, I like fishing by myself. Paraphrasing the old song about drinking by myself, "When I fish alone, I prefer to fish by myself."
You'll enjoy a kayak. I enjoy sight fishing reds and trout, and the low height bankers visibility, but it's amazing how close you can creep up on fish. It's the ultimate stealth boat.
Kayak fished for years in those same waters and north - I think the best method is to mount a holder and "troll"...set drag lightly so you can transition the rod to your hands to bring the fish in. You also get a good workout. PS: not to derail, but, do you know the history of the dollar bills on the CK ceiling?
A friend of mine pedal kayaks fishes off the coast of Jaco, Costa Rica almost every day. I'm going to get one, but I worry if my back can take it too.